Your comments are needed to support open standards in Europe

If a standard is patent-encumbered, then free software developers may not be
free to write software that implements the standard, without first obtaining a
patent license. This effectively prevents free software users from following
the standard.

There is an important issue facing the European Commission now with regard to
standards, and they need to hear from you. Please support this campaign in
favor of open standards by adding
your signature on their web page (by 2007 September 15), answering the European
Commission's request for comments, and asking your friends and colleagues to do
the same.

The EC is considering an update to the European Interoperability Framework
(EIF) that would threaten what has been an ongoing push for open standards.
This second version of the Framework has not yet been endorsed -- there is
still time to stop it.